The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 804

Episode 804: We Will Fight (1)

Boooo
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“False saint. Who gave you such a title?”
Deneb was speechless. She
had never called herself a saint.
Since she had wielded the power of the holy stone, others had naturally called her that.
Iraniel stepped forward and said,
“I regret to meet you like this. However, our guardian stone has chosen Deneb, so she deserves to be called a saint.”
Grondal also sided with Deneb.
“Pope! Deneb is the owner of our guardian stone! This is the will of the dwarves, so Pope, stop being greedy!”
The Pope let out a laugh. His voice was unusually cold and subdued.
“Who are you to call yourself the owner? You only kept the holy stone. You are not its owners.”
Grondal shouted angrily.
“It is something we have inherited and preserved for generations! If we are not its owners, then who is?”
The Pope raised his chin and spoke with an arrogant expression.
“I am the owner of the Holy Stone.”
“What?”
“I am the one who will use the power of the Holy Stone to destroy the Demonic Realm and save this world. Do you truly not understand what that means?”
“You overestimate yourself.”
Grondal growled, gripping his axe tightly. He wasn’t the type to let his opponent’s arrogance go unnoticed.
Iraniel reached out and stopped Grondal, asking,
“Pope, I really didn’t know you were this bad. So what do you plan to do? Do you plan to take it from me by force?”
This time, the Pope looked at Giselle.
He knew that although Julian was the leader, Giselle always took the initiative and made things happen.
“You said you wanted to talk to me, didn’t you? Speak. What do you want to say?”
“I’m going to give you three choices, Pope.”
“Choices? Hehehehehehe…”
The Pope laughed, shrugging his shoulders.
Those mere mercenaries, daring to force a choice on him, the ruler of the continent.
It was truly absurd, yet amusing.
“Yes, speak. I’ll listen.”
“Let’s make peace.”
“……What?”
“Fighting the Demonic Realm is everyone’s duty anyway. Please acknowledge Deneb as a saint and we will fight against the Demonic Realm together. I mean, let’s make peace on good terms.”
“I refuse. Tell me the second option.”
“You seem impatient. Then lend me yours.”
“…….”
“You don’t have to acknowledge me as a saint. Instead, I will give the Holy Stone to the Pope after the war is over. Isn’t the war against the Demonic Realm more important right now?”
Giselle only had to stop the Demonic Realm. That was all that Julian and Deneve wanted.
That was the role of warrior and saint, and what Deneve, as the Goddess’ representative, desired.
After winning the war, there would be no need for such a mere Holy Stone.
But such talk was utterly useless to the Pope.
“I refuse. To save the world, I must obtain the power of the Holy Stone. So there’s no reason to wait until the war is over.”
“Even though the Holy Stone has acknowledged Deneb?”
“That’s just your claim, I didn’t acknowledge it.”
Jiselle said with a snicker.
“So, does that mean the Pope acknowledged the Holy Stone?”
“What?”
“The Pope also has a Holy Stone, right? Can you control its power?”
“This guy…”
An incredible amount of energy began to emanate from the Pope’s body in anger.
The energy was so strong that it instantly crushed the surroundings.
Ddddddddddd… … .
“Ugh, ugh!”
“Your Majesty! Hold fast!”
“Ugh…” Even
the distinguished cardinals and temple knights couldn’t breathe properly under the crushing pressure.
Giselle and her companions also summoned their energy to counter the Pope’s power.
However, the Pope’s aura grew stronger, as if it would consume everyone present.
Finally, Iraniel and Grondal unleashed their energy, repelling the Pope’s aura.
Ugh!
The mere collision of their momentum sent shockwaves through the air.
Everyone was astonished by the Pope’s power.
To think that he could overwhelm the superhumans present with a mere flash of anger!
Iraniel and Grondal’s astonishment was incomparable to the others.
‘The Pope was this strong!’
‘This is impossible… … . He’s incomparable to the previous Popes.’
It was hard to believe that a Pope who had accumulated divine power could unleash such a powerful aura.
Giselle was also a little surprised.
‘I knew he was strong, but… … .’
While inside the veil, I couldn’t truly gauge his strength. I could only guess from the reactions of those around me that he must be quite strong.
But experiencing it firsthand, I realized the Pope’s power was beyond my wildest imagination. Even though this was only a fraction of the power he possessed, I couldn’t help but wonder,
“What is this? How can he be so strong?”
Divine power, broadly speaking, is one of the energies that make up the world. The problem was that divine
power wasn’t something you could accumulate simply through effort. It was something you were born with. While it occasionally increased, no one knew the exact reason for this increase.
The Pope had amassed such extraordinary power to
an incredible extent. This would only be possible if he had received the love of the goddesses and possessed a body blessed with them,
much like Farniel and Piote.
“Shouldn’t he have already been recognized by the Holy Stone?”
But the Pope couldn’t even handle the Holy Stone he possessed.
Giselle sensed something strange there. No, that wasn’t the only strangeness.
“Whew… Whew…”
The Pope, calming down, seemed extremely impatient. It was a completely different sight from when he sat leisurely within the curtain.
Giselle had a feeling that the Pope was not in his normal state.
Divine power was emanating irregularly from his body. And the phenomenon grew stronger as it grew.
‘That’s… … .’
It was as if conflicting energies were clashing and exploding, like frost and flames meeting and exploding.
‘Why… … .’
Divine power was a purer force than any other. Divine power alone could not have caused such a phenomenon.
Giselle couldn’t tell whether the Pope was intentionally displaying his power or if he was simply unable to control it.
Then, suppressing his energy, the Pope grabbed the mask with trembling hands. For a moment, a peculiar pattern of light passed through the mask.
The phenomenon wasn’t limited to the mask. Similar phenomena occurred in the various ornaments the Pope wore.
‘Magic.’
Those ornaments weren’t mere decorations. She wasn’t sure exactly what, but those magical tools seemed to be exerting some kind of influence on the Pope.
But Giselle’s thoughts quickly wandered elsewhere.
“The bracelet I just glimpsed… …”
It was the same shape as the bracelet Deneb was wearing. And it was set with a sparkling purple jewel.
“It’s a holy stone.”
With this, all four holy stones were gathered in this place. If she could just bring that, Deneb would be able to awaken as a true saint.
As Giselle was eagerly eyeing the holy stone, the Pope spoke again.
“Third… tell me…”
He seemed to be holding back something.
Giselle looked at the Pope carefully and replied,
“Step back.”
“…Step back?”
“Yes, just step back and delegate all authority to Deneb. We will take care of the world.”
“…”
“I’m just saying there’s no need for the Pope to step forward and tire himself out. Why do you insist on doing it yourself?”
The Pope smiled behind his mask at Giselle’s words.
All three conditions were essentially the same: he would never hand over the holy stone.
Objectively, it wasn’t a bad offer.
One who wields the power of the Holy Stone has appeared. With countless witnesses, it can’t be a lie.
Therefore, he doesn’t need to risk it. He can leave it to the saint and help the Human Union achieve victory.
The only problem is…
he has absolutely no intention of doing so.
The Pope slowly looked around. Then, in a heavy voice, he spoke.
“I will refuse that too.”
“Then the negotiations have broken down. Are you going to continue this standoff?”
Giselle thought the Pope wouldn’t be able to mobilize his troops. Indeed,
he had no intention of doing so. However, the Pope had another idea.
“I will make a new proposal.”
“What is it?”
The Pope pointed out Giselle, Julian, Kyle, and Deneb, each of whom had been with him from the beginning.
“You will face me directly. If you refuse even this…”
The Pope’s energy began to surge again.
“I will wage war and mobilize my troops.”
The Pope was determined to root out the saint and all the other threats right here and now. And he would do it alone.
Giselle smirked. In fact,
it was the method she had most hoped for.
After all, this conflict could be resolved if either the Julian mercenaries or the Pope surrendered.
“So that’s what you’re saying.”
Giselle deliberately avoided suggesting a fight. If she were to propose it first, it could lead to many disputes later on.
But if the Pope were to propose first,
the Empire would have to meekly comply.
The cardinals, priests, and knights surrounding the Pope were all terrified and tried to dissuade him.
“Your Holiness! You cannot say such a thing!”
“How dare you engage mere mercenaries!”
“Please, take back that! Don’t get your hands dirty, and leave it to us instead!”
Despite the protests of those around him, the Pope remained steadfast.
Unable to give up the Holy Stone or mobilize his troops, this was the best option.
“Julian Mercenary Corps, will you accept my offer?”
“It’s refreshing. I will do so. But… will you be okay alone?”
“No one will help me.”
The imperial officials’ dissuasion wasn’t due to concern for the Pope’s safety. They were simply concerned about his reputation.
Indeed, even when they first met, those around him hadn’t been concerned about the Pope’s safety.
“That must mean the Pope is strong.”
Now, they were anticipating just how strong he would be.
Unlike Giselle, who was elated, Iraniel and Grondal looked worried. They knew the Pope’s power was immense.
“Is that really the only way?”
“If you lose, the Pope will take it all!”
Giselle repeatedly dismissed their concerns, insisting it was fine.
Both sides desperately wanted the Holy Stone. In that case, it was better to make a clear decision.
The Pope turned around and said,
“This is a showdown between me and the Julian Mercenaries. The Empire will have to accept this result.”
Giselle looked around at her allies and said the same.
“If we lose, we will hand the Holy Stone over to the Pope. This is the only way to resolve this conflict, so everyone, please leave.”
Despite repeated attempts by Iraniel and Grondal, Giselle remained steadfast. The Pope was no different.
In the end, the armies of both sides had no choice but to retreat.
Everyone except those designated by the Pope retreated, but the three remained motionless.
Erenes and Marika looked at the Pope and said,
“I’m an elf, but I’m also a member of the Julian Mercenaries, so I’ll fight alongside you.”
“May I join you?”
The Pope responded to the two with a disinterested tone.
“Do as you wish.”
Instead, the Pope was interested in someone else.
“Lionel, are you planning to fight me now?”
Lionel looked at the Pope with a dying expression.
He hadn’t had a chance to speak until now. The situation had become too urgent.
Now that he was finally able to speak, Lionel spoke slowly.
“Your Holiness… did you really try to kill me?”
“Yes. Heresy is an unforgivable sin.” “
I was simply following Your Holiness’ orders.”
“Then why didn’t you bring me the Holy Stone?”
“…”
“Why did you acknowledge the miracles of the so-called saint?”
“…”
“If you are truly innocent, kill that witch immediately and bring me the Holy Stone.”
Lionel closed his eyes.
In truth, countless thoughts raced through his mind. He agonized over every day, trying to persuade the Pope.
He hadn’t even spoken to his colleagues on the way here. They all knew his situation, so they pretended not to notice.
Lionel wanted to persuade the Pope, if only for the sake of his colleagues.
But now he realized that nothing he could say would be of any use. The Pope’s mind was firm.
And that sight… wasn’t that of one preaching the love of God.
Lionel slowly opened his eyes.
He spoke in a cracking voice.
“I… will fight Your Holiness.”
Now his mind was made up.